Donald Trump announced his third presidential bid on Tuesday night. The announcement comes on the heels of the midterm elections, which did not produce a “red wave” for Republicans in Congress as was anticipated.
The BBC spoke to former Trump voters and asked whether or not he still has their support. With more Republican candidates in the mix, it seems Donald Trump will have some competition to get through the primaries and on to the general election.
Alex Heide voted for Donald Trump twice, but has since developed a strong dislike of the former president.
I’m pretty upset with him – the stuff that happened on 6 January was a breaking point. Even though my parents are Danish, I still had a very small-town, rural Florida upbringing as in being sceptical of government and being around guns. I saw people like me being manipulated by a man in the government – it was a ‘come to Jesus’ moment. It crushed what I thought of Trump.
I really do not like the guy. I would not vote for him – it feels like he’s destroying the Republican party. I would love it if he stayed out of politics. Hopefully he doesn’t win the primary. Ron DeSantis is like a replacement Trump, but a little bit smarter.
Crystal Myers-Barber has been vocal about her support for Donald Trump over the years. She voted for him in 2016 and 2020.
I’m very excited about his announcement. I think it’s a great thing. He has a base of supporters who were and who are still with him. He is a creator of jobs, he is for life [anti-abortion]. Nobody is going to rise up like him – not Ron DeSantis or any others. I adore those people, but I just so admire Trump. He is the man for the job. I don’t see age as a factor at all.
Former Trump supporters who aren’t enthused by his run have lost faith in what he accomplished. They have lost hope. I’d be disappointed if he did not have a potential run. I would be sad – I would wonder who could do what needs to be done? In California, gas prices and inflation are the highest in the nation – we are suffering with the current administration.
Gabriel Rodriguez was happy Donald Trump won the 2016 election, but voted for him in 2020 because he was the lesser of two evils.
I would be annoyed and aggravated – feel like rolling my eyes. I can only hope that he becomes irrelevant soon. I believe Donald Trump just needs to go away quietly in the night. He served his purpose while in the White House. He managed to make numerous and record federal bench appointments at that time and appoint three conservative judges to the Supreme Court before losing the election. His appointments will be the legacy he left behind and I am very happy he was able to produce those results.
I would not vote for him in the primary or the general election. In my opinion he is not good for the Republican brand, although I’m sure some would say he was never good, period. But it’s time to move on – more moderation and less left and right extremes.
Brooke Riske voted for Donald Trump in 2020 because of his economic policies.
This is Trump staking his claim and I would hate for it to deter other candidates from running. I don’t think Trump is the future. It’s time to step aside – he’s had his time. Let somebody else lead. He is not my preferred candidate and I would be interested to see who else will run and challenge him in a primary. It would be a waste of money and energy on his part.
If it were Trump v. Biden in 2024, I would vote for Trump, though. I think DeSantis is the best candidate to challenge Biden in 2024. Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard and Glenn Youngkin come to mind, as well. I like that DeSantis is young, principled, and willing to go against the grain. I have a lot of respect for how he handled the pandemic in Florida. He kept his state in good economic standing and protected individual freedoms. His recent re-election proved he has the ability to unite across age, political party and ethnic demographics.
Vinod Jeyakaran voted for Donald Trump in 2020 because of his top issues – abortion, economy and border security. He could not vote in 2016 as he became a citizen in 2019.
His announcement indicates to me that he’s a fighter and still wants what’s best for country. I’d be happy he went ahead and announced. It drives the base, too. I would be quite happy about it. I wish he was more temperate and more careful with his words. He’s not good at communicating effectively, but his policies were great.
I am from India and have strong conservative values. It seems like if you’re a person of colour, you’re not supposed to vote for Trump, but I’d vote for him again in the general election. I promised my wife [who is an independent, but leans conservative] I would not vote for him in the primary.
Rom Solene has been a staunch Trump supporter. The former president’s recent comment calling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ‘De-Sanctimonious’ irritated him, though.
I would appreciate a Trump 2024 run very much because like everything Donald Trump does, he stirs up the pot and the status quo. That was one reason – the primary reason – I voted for him in 2016 and 2020. It would depend on whether Ron DeSantis was running in the primary or general election.
I have been a staunch Trump supporter since he first rode that elevator down in 2015 to announce his first run for the White House, but I feel Gov. DeSantis would be the better and more desirable candidate in any presidential primary or general election. This is because of all of the distraction or baggage that another Trump presidency would bring with it – the media and Democrats would, in my opinion, become catatonic about another Trump presidency and all discussions about him would be very negative. Not that a DeSantis presidency wouldn’t stir up the establishment as well, but Gov. DeSantis is far more articulate and, I believe, far more logical and a far better leader.
( curtesy BBC. com)